Portable keyboard structure and music retainer



Nov. 1, 1955 M. NEUMARK 2,722,154

PORTABLE KEYBOARD STRUCTURE AND MUSIC RETAINER Filed April 7, 1953 MARTHA NEUMA RK BY A M ATTORN EY.

United States Patent PORTABLE KEYBOARD STRUCTURE AND MUSIC RETAINER Martha Neumark, Bayside, N. Y.

Application April 7, 1953, Serial No. 347,310

4 Claims. (Cl. 84-404) This invention relates to portable music instruments, more particularly to a self-contained piano keyboard structure and music retainer.

It is primarily within the contemplation of my invention to provide a compact keyboard device which can comfortably be carried by hand and be set up for convenient use, and which can serve as a support for music while the instrument is being played and as a receptacle for music when it is not in operative use.

More specifically, it is one of my objectives to provide a unitary construction for a keyboard which will enable it to be closed into the form of a suitcase for ready portability, and which can also be readily opened for placement over a bed, upon a table or other suitable support. And in accordance with the preferred construction of my invention, the outer support thereof is so combined with the piano structure as to provide a safe and convenient receptacle for music books and sheet music while the device is in its closed condition, whereby such music will be held against displacement and be readily accessible, in its original condition, when the instrument is opened.

My invention is also provided with a novel movable front panel construction adapted to expose the inner mechanism for tuning or repair purposes, and which also can serve as a support of expanded proportions for music in proper playing position. And in this aspect of my invention it is a further object to enable the said panel to be readily and conveniently moved upwardly for the aforesaid purpose of gaining access to the interior mechanism, without the danger of having the said panel bind along the sides thereof during such upward movement.

It is further within my contemplation to provide an arrangement of differently pitched sound rods in combination with striking hammers in such manner as to enable the length of said rods, and consequently their respective pitches, to be varied by accessible means adjacent the said front piano panel.

It is generally my object to provide an instrument which can be of service to professional musicians, composers, teachers, students and music lovers. The extreme portability of my device enables it to be carried as conveniently as any suitcase, whereby the professional musician may take the equivalent of a piano with him, for practice or as an aid in musical composition. Its compact structure enables it readily to be placed upon a table and even over a bed where it may be played by a patient, the active production of music by the patient having a far greater therapeutic value than the usual expedient of passive listening to the radio and the like. And for class instruction it is superior to the cardboard or wooden keyboard constructions frequently employed.

Other objects, features and advantages will appear from the drawings and the description hereinafter given.

Referring to the drawings,

Figure 1 is a plan View of one form of my self-contained piano keyboard structure shown resting on a table,

and in open condition and supporting sheet music thereon, portions being broken away for clarity, the dot-dash lines indicating sheet music in place.

Figure 2 is a section of Figure 1 taken substantially along line 22, the dot-dash lines representing sheet music and the cover members in closed position, parts being removed for clarity.

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing said structure in its closed condition in the form of a suitcase, a fragment being broken away to show the manner in which sheet music or books are supported.

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view, substantially along line 22 of Figure l, but with the key mechanism removed, and showing a fragment of a sound rod operatively supported, the device being shown in the closed condition illustrated in Figure 3, sheet music being shown by dot-dash lines within the music compartment.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary front view, partly in section, of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary front view of the device of Figure l in its open condition, the front piano panel being shown in its operatively lowered position.

Figure 7 is a view substantially like Figure 6, but showing the said front panel in its operatively raised position to expose the sound rods and internal mechanism.

In the form of my invention illustrated in the drawings, the structure consists of an outer casing 10 comprising the top and bottom walls 11 and 12, respectively, the rear wall 13, the combination cover and music support 14 comprising top section 15 and front section 16, said top section being connected to top wall 11 by hinge 17, and sections 15 and 16 being connected to each other by hinge 18. The keyboard 19 is operatively disposed within the casing 10, the foremost portions of the keys being partly obstructed by the front strip 20. The underside of bottom wall 12 contains rubber buttons 21 adapted to rest upon a table 22 or other suitable support.

The internal chamber of casing 10 contains vertical side walls 23 which support the longitudinally extending channel 24 operatively accommodating therein the rear terminal portions 25 of each of the keys 26, the latter being pivotally mounted at 27. Each of said rear portions 25 is pivotally connected at 28, in known manner, to a hammer 29, whereby upon a downward depression of a key 26, the arm 30 of the key will move upwardly and actuate the hammer 29 in an upward direction, so that the forward terminal 31 of the hammer is caused to strike the sound rod 32. It is not deemed necessary, for the purpose of this specification, to describe in detail the operation of the keys 26 and hammers 29, since they are well known to those skilled in the art and do not in themselves constitute applicants invention. Suflice to say, for the present, that there are a plurality of sound rods 32 above the keys 26, the lengths and diameters of the rods being proportioned so as to produce different pitches to correspond with the conventional arrangement of keys on pianos.

In the particular structure of my invention illustrated, each of said sound rods 32 extends through a threaded aperture 33 in a transverse supporting bar 34', the forwardly extending portions 35 of each of said sound bars having a polyhedral head, such as that of a bolt head, so that it may readily be grasped by a suitable tool for turning the rod relative to bar 34. The arrangement is hence such that the amount the sound rod 32 protrudes rearwardly from surface 36 of bar 34 is a function of the vibration frequency of the rod, such length thereby determining the pitch. Accordingly, by a manipulative turning of rods 32, slight variations may be effected in the pitches of these rods, whereby the instrument can be tuned. To maintain the rods 32 fixed in said properly tuned position, the nuts 37 are mounted over and are in threaded engagement with the shanks of rods 32, so that the nut may be tightened against the front surface 38 of said supporting bar 34 to frictionally maintain the rods 32 against forward or rearward displacement.

To render said rods 32 accessible for tuning purposes, as well as to render the interior of the structure accessible for repair purposes, a front panel 39 is employed. This panel extends completely across the entire keyboard, the opposite lateral, rearwardly offset marginal portions 40 being disposed between the side panels 41 and the front edges 42 of the opposite lateral sides 43 of the music supporting partition 44. The said partition 44 is spaced below the upper wall 11 of the casing, extending forwardly beyond the front edge 45 of said upper wall 11, the Said foremost edge 42 of said partition 54 being spaced rearwardly beyond the rear surface 47 of said side panels 41, to provide a space proportioned slidably to receive therein the said opposite lateral marginal portions lt of the front panel 3 The said panel 39 is positioned so that the rear surface 46 thereof is substantially in abutting relation with the front edge 42 of partition 44.

In the specific arrangement illustrated, the said front panel consists of a lower wall section 48 and a forwardly offset wall section 49 connected to wall 48 by bottom wall 50. The said upper wall section 49 is proportioned to extend upwardly substantially to the level of section 15 of cover 14 when said section is in its closed position. Hence, when the instrument is in its closed position, as illustrated in Figures 3 and 4-, a music compartment 51 is formed for holding sheet music 52 therein. Said compartment is fully enclosed by said wall section 49 of the front panel 39, top section 15 of the foldable cover 14, top and rear walls 11 and 13, respectively, and the partition 44. Hence, when the device is in its closed condition, the sheet music 52 is conveniently and eifectively maintained within said music compartment 51, so that when the instrument is opened to the position illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, such music will be readily accessible in the same condition in which it was placed therein. It will be observed that in the said open position access to the music within compartment 51 is readily obtained through the opening 53 at the upper portion of the device. This apertured portion 53 results from the fact that the said partition 44 extends forwardly beyond upper wall 11 of the casing, the hinge 17 connecting cover 14 to the casing being rearwardly spaced therefrom, substantially at the forward edge 45 of wall 11.

In view of the fact that the said wall section 49 of front panel 39 is positioned forwardly with respect to the front edge 42 of partition Ml, and because of the fact that said hinge 17 is disposed at said front edge 45 at a position rearwardly of said front edge 42, a substantial space designated by the letter, A (Fig. 2) is provided for conveniently accommodating a thick music book or a number of sheets of music disposed one upon the other. It will be observed that said cover 14 is operatively supported by the rest 54 secured to the top wall 11 of the casing, the front edge 55 of said rest being rearwardly inclined to permit said member 14 adequately to serve as a music support in a rearwardly inclined position. It will further be noted that when said cover member 14 is in its raised position illustrated in Figure 2, the said section 16 thereof is folded against section 15, to provide a unitary music support 14.

When it is desired to gain access to the interior of the casing, particularly to tune the sound rods 32, all that is necessary to be done is to raise the front panel 39 upwardly from the lower limiting position of Figure 6 (determined by the pad strip 56 when resting upon the keyboard 19) to the upper limiting position of Figure 7. The opposite lateral marginal portions 40 of the front panel 39 contain the vertical slots 57 with upper and lower terminals 58 and '59, respectively. Extending through each of said slotted portions are the threaded studs 63 supported by side panels 41, there being Wing nuts 61 mounted on the shanks of said studs. The arrangement is hence such that when the front panel 39 is in the lowered position of Figure 6, said studs 60 are in engagement with the said upper terminals 58 of slots 57.

When it is desired to elevate the said front panel, both hands are placed at opposite lateral portions of the underside of the intermediate horizontal wall 50 of the panel, thereby enabling said panel to be lifted and maintained at an even horizontal level throughout its movement to prevent binding, the uppermost limit of such upper movement being determined by the bottom terminals 59 of said slots. At said latter position said panel 39 is disposed above the said sound rod 32, as illustrated in Figure 7, so that access thereto may readily be had. The panel is maintained either in its upper or lower position by a tightening of the said wing nut 61, in known manner.

When it is desired to close the device, all that need be done is to unfold member 14 from the position illustrated in Figure 2, to the dotdash position shown in said figure and also illustrated in Figures 3 and 4. Thereafter the section 16 is secured in place by any known locking means, such as the turn latches 62 extending through the slots 63 in said wall section 16. When the device is so closed and locked it may readily be carried by grasping handle 64 attached to wall 13.

It is thus apparent that this construction is readily changeable from a convenient open arrangement for playing, with a music support positioned for properly accommodating sheet music or the like, to a closed position when the device is in the form of a suitcase for portability. And in both positions, the structure contains a compartment formed from the said front panel, outer members of the casing and a special partition, for safely and conveniently holding sheet music and the like so that it may be readily accessible when needed. The structure is also adapted to provide convenient access to the interior and for ready tuning of a keyboard structure having sound rods of variable length.

In the above description, the invention has been disclosed merely by way of example and in preferred manner; but obviously many variations and modifications may be made therein. It is to be understood, therefore, that the invention is not limited to any specific form or manner of practicing same, except insofar as such limitations are specified in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a keyboard structure and music holder, a casing, plurality of pivotally mounted piano keys within the casing, a sound-producing mechanism operatively associated with the keys, a front panel disposed above the keys and in front of said mechanism, and a substantially horizontal partition disposed above said mechanism and behind said panel; said casing having top, bottom and rear walls, and a combination cover and music support hingedly connected to the forward portion of said top wall, the forward edge of said top wall being disposed rearwardly with respect to the front edge of said partition, whereby said support may be operatively swung upwardly above its said hinged connection to expose the forward portion of said partition and said keys; said panel comprising a lower wall section extending upwardly substantially from the level of the keys to the level of said partition, an upper wall section forwardly offset with respect to said lower section, and an intermediate wall joining said upper and lower sections and extending substantially in the plane of said partition; said support being operatively movable between a closure position with respect to the casing and a raised position, whereby music may be supported in a generally upright position by said intermediate wall and the forward part of said partition, and between said upper section of the panel and said support when in its said raised position.

2. In a keyboard structure and music holder, a casing,

a plurality of pivotally mounted piano keys within the casing, a sound-producing mechanism operatively associated with the keys, at front panel disposed above the keys and in front of said mechanism, and a substantially horizontal partition disposed above said mechanism and behind said panel; said casing having top, bottom and rear Walls, and a combination cover and music support hingedly connected to the forward portion of said top wall; the said partition being spaced below said top wall; the forward edge of said top wall being disposed rearwardly with respect to the front edge of said partition, whereby said support may be operatively swung upwardly above its said hinged connection to expose the forward portion of said partition and said keys; said panel comprising a lower wall section extending upwardly substantially from the level of the keys to the level of said partition, an upper wall section forwardly offset with respect to said lower section and extending upwardly to the level of said top wall, whereby an aperture is formed between the top edge of said upper section and the forward edge of said top wall, and a compartment formed by said top wall, the upper portion of said rear wall, the said partition and the said upper section of said panel, said aperture communicating with said compartment.

3. In a keyboard structure and music holder, the combination according to claim 2, said combination cover and music support comprising a top wall section and a front wall section hingedly secured together, said top wall section being proportioned to extend across said aperture from the said front edge of the top wall to a plane in front of said keys and said front wall section being proportioned to extend between the forward edges of said top wall section and said bottom wall when said support is in its said closure position, whereby said compartment is completely enclosed.

4. In a keyboard structure and music holder, a casing, a plurality of pivotally mounted piano keys within the casing, a sound-producing mechanism operatively associated with the keys, a movable front panel disposed above the keys and in front of said mechanism, and a substantially horizontal partition disposed above said mechanism and behind said panel; said casing having top, bottom and rear walls, and a combination cover and music support hingedly connected to the forward portion of said top wall, the forward edge of said top wall being disposed rearwardly with respect to the front edge of said partition, whereby said support may be operatively swung upwardly above its said hinged connection to expose the forward portion of said partition and said keys; said panel comprising a lower wall section extending upwardly substantially from the level of the keys to the level of said partition, an upper wall section forwardly offset with respect to said lower section, and an intermediate wall joining said upper and lower sections and extending substantially in the plane of said partition; said support being 0peratively movable between a closure position with respect to the casing and a raised rearwardly inclined position, and a rest member for holding said support in said raised position, whereby music may be supported in a generally upright position by said intermediate wall and the forward part of said partition, and between said upper sec tion of the panel and said support when in its said raised position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 536,247 Wick et al Mar. 26, 1895 693,878 Mattoch Feb. 25, 1902 1,577,680 Bilhorn Mar. 23, 1926 1,805,863 Bennett May 19, 1931 2,231,235 Wier Feb. 11, 1941 2,279,144 Lohr Apr. 7, 1942 2,641,153 Enochs et al. June 9, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 10,174 Great Britain Oct. 7, 1909 691,208 France Oct. 2, 1930 663,662 Great Britain Dec. 27, 1951 831,943 Germany Feb. 18, 1952 

